The World of Layonara
Character Development => Development Journals and Discussion => Topic started by: Skywatcher on May 03, 2007, 05:27:23 AM
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*waking from her dream she rises and goes to the corner of her room where she meditates. getting down on her knees she prays*
Great Leader, it has been my great desire to be chosen as one of your special standard bearers. Show me your path and I will walk it. Give me the strength to do your will and show your compassion and caring for the hurting and weak. You have made me ready. You have chosen me. You have set a path for me. Help me to walk it.
*she stands and prepares her gear setting aside her bastard sword*
First stop the temple weaponsmith for a nice long sword with an ankh between the blade and the guard.
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I am unsure where my path will lead but I must be ready for anything in Toran's service. I was in Port Hempstead and who would come up to start teaching a class but the Shining Hand himself Quantum Windword. His students did not show up but a few of us asked for him to tell us what he was going to teach. He told us stories about Vampires and Lich's and bone dragons. He has faced foes that I have not even heard of. I asked him if he would share his knowledge with me. He took me to the Arena in Fort Vehl to test my abilities. Satisfied that I was capable (Toran be praised) he agreed to tutor me in how to fight undead and possible even give me an opportunity to join his elite force of undead hunters. I will follow this path for now for if nothing else comes of it I will become more proficient at fighting the evil foes that plague the lands. He gave me some guidance on equipment I must keep with me at all times and he told me he would take Lexor and I to the crypt in Krandor to deal with a vampire that keeps playing with a small girls emotions there. I look forward to his training.
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I have met a wonderful young girl that I hope to train in the ways of Toran. Her name is Aubrey. She's the adopted daughter of Honora. She feels drawn to Toran and may even enter temple to become a paladin some day. Honora asked me to spend some time with her and to teach her a bit of swordplay. We have spent a few sessions together and she shows some apptitude and is a fast learner. She and Honora obtained some basic training aids but it won't be long before she will reach a point where she will need a proper sword and a good sparring dummy. I need to ask Honora about beginning some spiritual training. I want to make sure that she doesn't mind me leading her in spiritual development towards Toran. Although I am pretty sure she won't mind I wouldn't want to interfere with Honora's leadership. I am sure Honora will have no problem with basic meditation training and it will be a while before I will need to teach her to channel Toran's power directly. I will talk to Honora about this when I see her again. It has been an honor to have Honora ask for me to train Aubrey. She reminds me a bit of myself and Rose. She has a compasionate heart and I believe would understand the life of service that we follow although she is still young and has not seen much of the world. Is this how my parents felt about me when I was growing up. I never really considered how I must have looked to them. Hmm... Toran you have strange ways of teaching us about ourselves.
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Storold invited me to go on a trip to the underdark of Belinara to help him get some exotic meat from animals called Rothe. We met up with Alantha and Angela two of his friends and proceeded fom there. My eyes were opened yet again to the power of evil that exists that most do not even conceive. I was able to pull my weight with the help of the wards that Storold and Alantha provided. My desire to protect and to destroy evil grows with every encounter of this kind. I must talk to mom and dad about this. I see now why they protected me so much. This sort of evil should not be experienced until many lesser foes have been bested. I praise Toran for his wisdom and guidance in preparing me for this trip.
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I have met a poor farming family near Fort Llast that has consented to allow me to help them on their farm. The people of this land are proud and wary of charity but when I told them that I felt called by Toran himself to aid them so that I could truly understand the plight of the people and that they would in fact be doing me the service they agreed to let me in their circle. Thomas and Elona Jenkins are their names and they have two young sons Jim an David that have begun to show me around their farm. For a time I will spend two nights each week lodging in their shed so that I will be able to wake early to start the work of the farm. I am looking forward to this experience. Toran give me the strength and wisdom to see your path in this adventure. Help me to wield a hoe or a bucket with the same furvor as I do your blade.
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I have been working on the Jenkins farm for a a month now. At first I think they just thought I would come and be gone in a short time. The work is back breaking tilling the soil and planting the fields. The ground is so hard it's like it's cursed to only yield the smallest amount of food, just enough to keep you working but not to have hope. After a few weeks they started treating me a bit differently. I think it impressed them when I let them hook Vision, my horse, up to their plow. I need to talk to the church leadership and encourage others of the faithful to begin working directly with the common people. I saw a sign today encouraging the people to rise up against the churches of good since the were hypocritical and I have to say it can appear that way to the poor and I am starting to understand their perspective. I have spent a lot of money on gear in order to figh those that would harm these poor but they see it as excess. I will try to talk to the Jenkins about this to see what might be done to change this attitude.
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I sat down and spoke with Thomas and Elona last night. I may have some ideas of ways to help out their farm. I am going to take a sample of the soil and perform some analysis of it. I may be able to determine what nutrients may be missing from the soil and a way to reinvigorate it. I need to also inspect the irrigation network around Fort Llast. There may be a way to improve it for all of the farmers. They don't have time to think about things like this since they spend all of their time just to get enough food to live off of. If I can get the temple workers to help on the irrigation it may help continue our efforts of good will to the people.
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I am going to ask Elona and Thomas to help me with the distribution of food to the poor today. After we get done with the daily work on the farm I hope they and their two boys will come with me. We can bring back food from Hempstead to Llast and distribute it to their friends and others in the Fort Llast area. I am looking forward to this visible aid to the people.
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I have spoken to Elona and Thomas about the idea that was posed in the council. They are very excited about the potential for grains that may be more hardy and potentially yield more than the ones they are currently using. Omer is very bright and his idea has great merit I think. We need to start small however. We, the Council will not be able to become grain distributors but if we can develop the new grain and get it in the hands of the people of Fort Llast and possibly the Hempstead area then maybe they will be able to grow enough to share with their neighbors and then from there the increased production can be shared with other areas and other lands. This is the sort of large impact the a small group can have if coordinated right.
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We destroyed the lich in his lair in the Spirit Dunes. At least I believe we did. Although we found the pillar and everything points to the fact that it was his phylactery something keeps gnawing at me. The dust I had from his remains has faded and disappeared after only a few weeks. Does this mean he has reincarnated himself? I must stay alert and visit the dessert area frequently to observe if any more undead activity is noticed. We didn't find a green bowl so we still need one in order to discover what it was that the lich was seeking. We need to look into what it might take to restore the bowl that Jacchri has. I have hidden the other bowls in a safe place now that we are aware that the black dragon also seems to be seeking something. He was noted to be in the same area that the lich occupied in the dessert.
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I hope we can get the statue of Arthur to Spellguard quickly. I am sure that he has been transmuted and that he will have a great deal of useful information to fill in the holes in our knowledge. The golem that we interacted with outside of Hlint seemed to be interested in one of the orbs or at least in Corba. The voices of who we are assuming were Gilderad and Rhemus came out of her while she was in contact with it. It ran off back into the Hammerbound mountains. This must be where Gilderad's workshop is.
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After being invited to attend the Voraxian high council I am both encouraged and disillusioned as to the unity of the churches. As with Toran and Rofirein the issue with the Justicers seems more the politics of men than a reflection of the hearts of the Gods. Toran and Vorax are allied but at the council the word of honor of one chosen by Toran was ignored and even doubted. At least that sentiment was in the minority and in the end both Toran and Rofirein agreed to help as needed to help the Voraxians see the truth of the new threat in the north.
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Well we finally managed to undo the damage we caused in Alindor and in fact have now restored the chalice and broken the curse on the royal family and the kingdom has a king again. The power structure of Alindor will be forever altered and although Milara is still there working behind the scenes, the royal family of Erilyn has access to ancient magic through the Shindelerian forces that have been restored. We now need to discover the location of the crown from Zxar and and then we may even succeed in raising Estibana. Honora was a great leader and made amaxing decisions that allowed us to succeed when things looked bleak.
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By the gods will I had a destined meeting today with the Bird Lord himself Plenarius. I was able to ask him about what he thought about Milara's reaction to Honora's mission inside Milara's territory. The Bird Lord felt that Milara's smile or laugh was probably indicative of him thinking of Honora's incursion as more of a nuisance than anything else. He did agree that further scouting might provoke for little gain and that information and LORE should be sought outside Milara's realm and that we should wait for Milara to make a mistake blinded by his power. I was very encouraged. He said that he was not sure why Katia had called him back to Port Hempstead from wherever he had been (he said he couldn't yet discuss what he had been up to in his absence). But he was looking for Acacea and said that he and Talan and some others had an idea about a small town on Belinara where something might be done about the sky and to restore the lands naturally. When I mentioned the recipe of the Seasons and the Silver Veign Essence I had given to Four Seasons he just nodded as if he already knew. Maybe this is where the druids will use the recipe to do some real good.
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The skies are clear! Toran be praised! We were led to the tower of the one who summoned the dragon called. It was a golden dragon that took on the form of a mage named Ozlo. In his tower was an hour glass suspended above a great cauldron. When each of us put a piece of ourselves into the cauldron the cieling opened up and the debris in the sky was sucked down into the hourglass in the form of sand. This formed something called the sand of ages. An elf from Voltrex said that that sands could help to save the metalic dragons that are on Voltrex and make them strong. I didn't even know there were dragons on Voltrex. This is a good sign. Each of us got a key to Ozlo's tower. I can't wait to get there and figure out what's in there.
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Yet another grand and glorious day has come. The new Citadel is complete and the dedication ceremony was amazing. To here the praises of Toran sung by so many and to see the light in their eyes. For so long the name of Toran has been dragged through the mud and finally it seems that the clearing of the skies and the completing of this place of refuge have brought hope to the hearts of so many. All that is left is to ensure that all who wish to visit the Citadel of free access. That is a task I shall take on. Michaelis said he would attempt to have a regular shipping route established and I will work throught the Council of Hope to see what can be done to allow direct access from Mistone for any who cannot pay. Perhaps a system by which the common folk can stop by the temple in Llast and obtain a token to pass through the portal without cost. Those who can pay should still do so but for those unable something should be allowed.
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Elona and Thomas are over joyed about the skies as we all are. Already they have seen the effects in the health of their grain. This next harvest looks to be a bumper crop. When I informed them of how the skies were cleared they beamed. Their faith in the protectors of the land had been tarnished by the words of the nay sayers that the Dragoncalled had betrayed the people. When I informed them that it was the Dragoncaller that had left the way to heal the skies I could see in them a renewed faith. The time I have spent with them has taught me much about hope and survival with little. I hope that I have also taught them a thing or two about faith in the forces of good and perserverance even through hard times. I will continue to stop by and see them from time to time but I don't think they will need my direct help nearly as much now that the lands are touched by the sun again. I asked them to help me spread this word of hope and faith to everyone they knew. They agreed and have been telling the tale to their neighbors.
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I am cursed by a vile Dark Elf Mage. I cannot speak but at least Toran's grace allowed me to resist her controlling my body outright. In her rage she cursed me with silence since I would not stop claiming Toran's power. I know Toran will provide a way out of this. I have asked for the help of my friends and will do some research on my own. Ortheus has the Toranite clergy working on it too. This is an arcane curse and the clergy may not have a solution however. My faith will not waiver. Toran will provide.
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This silence is killing me. My hand is cramped from writing so many notes. I want to scream but can't. What is your plan in this Great Leader. How will you avenge your servant. I praise you for the ability to resist her control but now you have chosen to wait so long to allow this curse to be broken. I have learned much from this time so maybe you are teaching me patience. I must admit it has made me slow down and think of what is important. I have also been listening much more. I have discovered that I have a great many good friends willing to aid me in this time of need. Please look down on your humble servant and grant me the peace to wait and see your will done. Grant me the wisdom to determine your path and the power to pour out your wrath on this one who dares defy you and your servant.
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Toran be praised. Toran be praised. He has granted his servant this day more than I could ever have wished. His messenger stood before me glowing like the sun and asked me if I believed that Toran was watching me and would take care of me. Even as I acknowledged my faith he frowned a bit. He placed his sword on me and broke the vile curse placed on me by the dark elf mage. I can speak again.
Toran be praised. Toran be praised. Then as I cried out his name his messenger frowned at me again. When I asked what was wrong he explained that I had displeased my lord by seeking those he disaproves of for aid in my time of need and for aiding those who he calls enemies with the powers he has granted me. For this he has withdrawn his favor from me for a time so that I can feel how it grieves his heart for his Champion to disregard his will. Even in his expression of displeasure he has graced me with a taste of his divine presence and for this I praise him.
Toran be praised. Toran be praised.
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*Clarissa begins a pilgrimage from temple to temple starting in Huangjin. She conveys the message of her miraculous healing by Toran's own messenger and praises Toran to the congregation. She also humbles herself and conveys his displeasure with her behavior relating to those who follow deities to whom Toran is opposed. In each congregation she exhorts the followers to keep faith in the All Watching and to not waver. She also acknowledges his mercy for not casting her away all together but rather giving her the opportunity to make ammends and correct her ways after a time of his withdrawl. She leaves each place with a positive message of faith in the one who is truly All Watching. This pilgrimage will cover every congregation of Toran's faithful in allof Layonara.*
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I met with Michaelis in the temple in Huangjin and we had a long talk about what I need to do to become the champion I want to be. We spoke of a delicate balance between compassion and standards. I have been trying too hard to undo the terrible reputation of Toran's paladin's for being arrogant and proud but at the same time I have forgotten to stand for what matters to Toran rather than myself. I will strive to rise above the bonds of friendship or any other distractor. Michaelis said I must see myself as expression of Toran's will on Layonara. I will do so. I need to think about how this impacts many things. I need to judge all things through Toran's eyes and no others. I will be his hand! I will be his will!
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As I make my way from town to town and speak in the temples I have noticed that the Toranite militias do not seem to be the standards of protection that they should be. They people should see Toran's paladins as there to protect them. I will add this to my message and encourage the local troops to redouble their efforts and disregard awkward looks as they make the lands safe for the people. It is the people we serve not our own pride.
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Deception and more deception. Well of course the enemies of Toran are not open about their faith. Embarassed I suppose to expose the truth that they follow those that breed chaos and disruption. A shining messenger of Toran appeared to Rose and I today and rather than restoring Toran's grace as I hoped for a mere moment, he declared, to my horror, that one of our company was a follower of an enemy of Toran. As we examined our company we discovered that Beasty was a follower of Mist. I was so disappointed. Even as he stated he didn't know much about the gods he refused to renounce the Lady Doom. He parted our company and as long as he maintains his allegiance we will no longer be able to bless him with Toran's light. My conversation with Michaelis is becoming profetic. I will forsake the bonds of friendship in the name of Toran. Storold has demanded that I publicly appologize for calling Lucinda moody, arbitrary, fickle, and unreliable. I told him that I would be dishonest to say that I did not feel those to be true descriptions of the Lady of magic. From the tone of his letter I feel he will not abide my presence further. So be it. Toran will always remain by side as long as I uphold his standards. I will have to ask Rose to start screening all who accompany us when we adventure to ensure we are no longer decieved by Toran's enemies. I wish Toran had granted the gift to me to determine others allegiance but I must rely on Rose for this.
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My pilgrimage goes well. I have enjoyed the looks on the people's faces as they hear the tale of Toran's message to me. The wide eyes as I mention the appearance of his holy messenger and the introspective looks when I tell of how he knew what went on even as I sought help elsewhere. I warn others of wavering in their faith and see in their faces a strengthening of their resolve to stay true to Toran. As I was travelling through Fort Homestead recently I encounter Caidgh a paladin of Rofirein. He was on a treasure hunt of sorts. I enjoyed his company as we followed the clues from place to place ending at the shrine of Rofirein in Huangjin where he found a fine amulet that had been left for him as a gift from Storold and Mylindra. This sparked a conversation about Lucinda and Storold being mad at me. Caidgh was very understanding and felt similar to me on many of the issues involved. It was good to have a friendly ear to listen.
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Evil never rests. Regardless of Toran's withdrawl I will continue to stand for him. Ellena, a young warrior, was bitten by a werewolf. She is infected to be sure but not converted. We pursued a wolf into the Silkwood and found a werewolf the likes of which I have never seen. He moved faster than anything I had ever seen including Krys and Jennara. Destroying him did not seem to remove the taint from Ellena as it should have if he was the one that bit her. The one that bit her must still be at large. I will seek a sage that she mentioned named Harigan. Hopefully he can shed more light on this particular beast. It must be put to rest for Ellena's sake as well as all of Mistone since the sickness seems to be spreading.
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We made it out the hole that Drea cut in the ice and found that we were in Lyn. Storold, Mylindra, and Tobias were there. The townsfolk thought giants were attacking because of the hole in the ground. We figured out that we were the giants and that the hole must have been a way that Gilderad had used to access the caverns. We explored more of the caverns guided by Emwonk being pulled by the weave and we reached an area with fire elementals and sulfurous gasses. that led us to a shaft where smoke was coming out and we decended into the shaft. The heat was sweltering and when we reached the bottom Corba said that it was where the machine had been but the machine was gone. The corridor out of the room we had entered was guarded by fire genasi and it was a good thing we decided to talk to them instead of fighting. They were servants of a red dragon named Emberblade. We were escorted into her presence and she asked us what we wanted. Corba and I tried to explain but what she wanted was a tale. Acacea stepped up and through wonderful word pictures she got the dragon's interest and told of the life of Ezlab being like a dying flame that should be revived rather than let fade. Emberblade was intrigued and made us promise to return and tell her the rest of the tale whether good or bad when we finished the story and she let us into her hoard where the machine was located. When we tried to move the machine it fell to pieces from age and we picked up and bagged all of the pieces and took our leave. On the way out our passage was blocked by who else but Gimbol. He wanted us to give him the parts. he can speak now and is seperated from the song. We refused and he bagan to attack us. We could not reach him since he had a wall of stones around him but Storold managed to stop him from casting and frustrate his efforts. Then we heard the song and Acacea recognized it. It was like Ezlab was there and Gimbol said:
Protect the beast.. I'll find a way.. when I have the power...I'll wipe it from the face of this place and all the harmony too.
I think he was referring to Ezlab.
After that the cavern began to shake as the dragon sealed the cavern from below. She said we would have to find another way to find her to tell her our tale.
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I have begun to see Toran's wisdom in his withdrawl of his favor. I see it is both a test and a time a strengthening. Without his favor's I have been having to rely on different methods of combat. I have become more proficient at combat techniquest that I would not have otherwise perfected. When his favor is restored to me I will be much more effective as a result of this time of testing.
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Toran be praised. He has once again found favor with me. I will never falter in my faith again. As I went through Huangjin on my way to the wind cave and I noticed my sword began to glow brightly and I felt the connection to Toran returning. I raised my hands in praise and immediately called on his power to aid in my battle with the dark elves there. It has been so long and it feels so good to be back in his graces. Toran be praised.
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I have obtained a green bowl. Varka found it on some goblins in the Ire mountains. I hope it to be genuine. I have all of the pieces now. I will distribute them between myself and Rose and Kalin to make sure they will be safe and present when we make our entry.
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*Trying to remember the members names from the Voraxian council, Clarissa mediates on the memory of the event and writes the names and titles as they come to her*
General Superior Haargrim leader of the council
General Deepsnur, of Mistone
General Otek, of eastern Alindor
General Weryglin of the Dragon Isles and Western Alindor
General Arima of Southern Dreger and Vanavar
General Bargor of northern Dreger
General Mournmalk of Belinara
Others:
Blik Loremaster of Vorax, Chosen representive by the people at the Council
Azwak Berbera of the scholar clerics
Rhwark Ergar High Elder and of the Scholar Clerics
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The Voraxian council is finally convinced. I hope it was worth the sacrifice.
We met a scout working for the General and proceeded to explore the Barbarian isles starting in Raven's watch. Along the way we encountered some barbarians camped and asked them if they knew anything about the white dragon. They said that if we knew anything that their leader would be interested. We went to see the leader "The Maul" and it turned out to be a trap. We were surrounded by 30 or so barbarians. He demanded tribute in return for proof of the dragons existence and asked Rose and I to come to him and kneel down. He shaved our heads bald with a knife and then took a large sharp tooth and touched each of our heads. When the tooth touched our heads a mark that looked like the tooth appeared. He explained that the dragon would know anytime we entered the barbarian isles and that we should not return without tribute or permission of the dragon. While that was going on the dragon flew over but did not land so the scout got an eye full. They let us go and when we got back to Raven's watch General Amira was there and said that the council was convinced but still had no resources to do anything about it so they were just going to leave the isles alone. There was a discussion about appeasement and the coming conflict and we left with everyone aggreeing that it was good that we knew the extent of the dragons influence and that the information would be helpful in any future conflict.
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*Clarissa reads a letter recieved from a high noble. After shaking her head and looking confused she rips up the letter and throws it away*
Lucindites, bah. Always having problems, never wanting to share what they know and never grateful for help.
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It's been a while since I recorded my thoughts. So much has been happening. I haven't had a chance to sit down and think about it much.
We managed to stop Gimbol and restore Elzabeth. She could no longer stay in this world for long but she left us with a wonderful crystal to remember her by. Gimbol is in a coma and the lucindites think that his soul may be permanently damaged due to all of the energies he tried to tie to his soul that are now drained.
The conflict with the vampires are groing. We have ended Veira and her assistant but now there seem to be even bigger threats. Some of the Lucindites will be trying to gain some information, maybe they will share it with the rest of us. If not I will not be surprised. Once we get all the information we can then I will urge a mission to destroy the lair and lab that harbors and empowers these beasts.
Investigations into some ancient artifacts that Jennara has discovered have led to an effort to build an observatory to view a comet that will be coming in a few years. There is also a book that is apparently hiden in the Broken halls on Mistone. I am very interested in the contents of this book and why the elf that is looking for it is so interested in it.
I will be meeting soon with the leadership in Huangjin to introduce the idea of building a university there to conduct education from the lowest levels of freed slaves to the advanced studying in combat tactics and dragon Lore to prepare for possible threats in the future.
Toran strengthen me for the challenges ahead.
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Finally, I have returned to civilization after so many years in the dark places. Toran's mission was necessary and vital but I missed my friends and in my absence dark forces have been gathering against the people of the lands.
I am glad to see my friends again. It is also a blessing to see that Toran has been working in the hearts of new followers who have now grown in power and capability so that there are many more of us to do his work.
I met with Daniella, a new Champion of Toran, and we immediately connected in a way that makes me feel that we will be fighting at each other's sides for many years to come. The bond we share in Toran is strong and I believe it will continue to grow.
Toran fill me with you power, compassion, and wrath against evil.
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DIsturbing news has reached me about potential corruption in the Gallant Gauntlet. Daniella and I spoke to Ortheus and he gave me leave to investigate the confession made by one of Gallant's subordinates. If the accusation is true there are some serious issues that must be dealt with. I am remaining objective and hopeful that this is all a misunderstanding but something keeps the hairs on the back of my heck feeling a bit strange. Toran grant me wisdom and discretion in dealing with this situation.